CLEVELAND — With the recent passing of the 2021 Consolidated Appropriations Act, more college students are able to access Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program (SNAP), the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services said in a statement as a reminder to students Monday.
The temporary exemptions added in the recent federal legislation apply to students eligible to participate in a state or federally financed work-study program or students whose families cannot contribute any money toward their costs of attending college. Students who qualify under one of the exemptions must meet all other SNAP eligibility criteria before they can be approved.
“The pandemic has impacted food security for far too many Ohioans,” said ODJFS Interim Director Matt Damschroder. “We want to ensure that Ohio college students know about this temporary change because it could help them put food on the table.”
The amount of SNAP benefits has also increased for an individual who purchased and prepares meals alone (not residing in a dorm and receiving the majority of their meals through a school plan) to a maximum of $234 per month.
The new benefits will be in effect until 30 days after the COVID-19 federal public health emergency has been lifted.
Ohioans can apply for SNAP benefits here.
Download the News 5 Cleveland app now for more stories from us, plus alerts on major news, the latest weather forecast, traffic information and much more. Download now on your Apple device here, and your Android device here.
You can also catch News 5 Cleveland on Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, YouTube TV, DIRECTV NOW, Hulu Live and more. We're also on Amazon Alexa devices. Learn more about our streaming options here.
